The material in this resource is aimed at providing middle-grade students with a series of stimulating and interesting mathematical challenges. The activities are intended to enrich and enhance their other work in mathematics.

The activities emphasize problem solving and exploration. In keeping with current trends in mathematics education, there is ample scope for cooperative learning. Not all the activities will appeal to all students, but every attempt has been made to cater to a range of student learning styles and interests.

In using these activities with classes of my own, I have encouraged group activity. This stimulates discussion and mathematical argument as students develop their problem-solving skills. It also provides a situation in which students need to justify the accuracy of their answer to others. Group activity often gives students the confidence and encouragement to embark upon tasks that they feel are too hard to do on their own.

Some of the activities are derived from classic problems in mathematics. Such problems are often still unsolved and can profitably be explored in a way appropriate to the mathematical understanding of the student. These problems have an extensive literature available and hence can be researched by teachers who wish to examine the ideas in more detail.

Download the Table of Contents page here.

Grades 5–8.